My son is locked out of his account

[WryGuy]

Steam recently asked everyone to validate their Steam account and forced a re-sign on during which they sent a validation code to the email on the account. When I set up my son's account several years ago, I mistakenly entered my email address for his account, not his. So, when he prompts Steam to send the emailed validation code, it comes to me, and if I use it, it just updates the validation for my account. How can I correct the email address for his account to his email? There is nothing helpful in Steam's automated self-help support (everything defaults to my account), nor can I find any "help" call number. He can't log on so as to show a problem. He is 18 years old, so he's old enough for an account.
Thanks,
-Tim

[ReBoot]

Can your son still log in?

[Phénomènes Mystiques]

might want to possibly login using the website with the validation code regarding your son's account and make sure that in Chrome, Firefox, or Edge that your account is still logged into Steam. Perhaps using the client in this manner would work, but my thought is just to get into the account settings by the website to change said email w/o the loop of updating the client.

Hope this is not too confusing.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by WryGuy:

Steam recently asked everyone to validate their Steam account and forced a re-sign on during which they sent a validation code to the email on the account.

Can you provide a link to that information as i personally have not had to re-sign in to my Steam account.

Originally posted by WryGuy:

When I set up my son's account several years ago, I mistakenly entered my email address for his account, not his. So, when he prompts Steam to send the emailed validation code, it comes to me, and if I use it, it just updates the validation for my account. How can I correct the email address for his account to his email? There is nothing helpful in Steam's automated self-help support (everything defaults to my account), nor can I find any "help" call number. He can't log on so as to show a problem. He is 18 years old, so he's old enough for an account.
Thanks,
-Tim

The obvious answer would be to sign out of Steam on your account, then log in to his account and use the code sent to your email address, then update the email on his account.

The probable solution is to recover his account by either:

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/3944-4D89-1B3E-27DE

Or:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1126288560

[Hamless Hog]

Originally posted by WryGuy:

Steam recently asked everyone to validate their Steam account

No they didnt.

Originally posted by WryGuy:

Steam recently asked everyone to validate their Steam account and forced a re-sign on during which they sent a validation code to the email on the account. When I set up my son's account several years ago, I mistakenly entered my email address for his account, not his. So, when he prompts Steam to send the emailed validation code, it comes to me, and if I use it, it just updates the validation for my account. How can I correct the email address for his account to his email? There is nothing helpful in Steam's automated self-help support (everything defaults to my account), nor can I find any "help" call number. He can't log on so as to show a problem. He is 18 years old, so he's old enough for an account.
Thanks,
-Tim

He can contact steam support maybe?

[Phénomènes Mystiques]

Last week when my mobile app for Steam updated, I had to re-log into my account and then the Steam Guard failed for some reason. Then magically fixed itself, but I never seen it happen before until last week where it would log me out after an update and I am on Steam almost 24/7  @.@

[WryGuy]

Reboot - No, that's the problem.

Nullable - Nice, outside the box thought, but since it was sent to my email address, it's linked to my account.

Wynters - no apparent joy here, but thanks for the idea/thought!

Nx Machina - I never got an email notice when Steam wanted me to revalidate my account, it just happened and forced a relog. Logging off and on again is no joy for him, because it just keeps defaulting to my account not his for email validation (because of the incorrectly same email address for both). BUT ... you get a cookie for providing the "recovering my Steam account" link. I don't know if it will solve the problem, but at least it's given me new things to try! Thanks.

Hogarth - Yes, they did, for both my son's account and mine. Maybe they're only doing it on a rolling basis; his account name is similar to mine (both start with "Wr"), so it could be a letter at a time to revalidate vice everyone. I revalidated with no problem; the problem is with his account.
There doesn't seem to be a way to directly contact Steam support; everything runs through the automated help support, with no phone numbers or ways to contact/email them, hence my plea for help here amongst the wise old men (and women).

Wynters - I'm not on the mobile app, as I'm an old fart and can barely use my mobile phone. But my son has tried re-logging on a lot, and no luck.

Thanks, all, for the help!

-Tim

[Hamless Hog]

Originally posted by WryGuy:

Hogarth - Yes, they did, for both my son's account and mine. Maybe they're only doing it on a rolling basis; his account name is similar to mine (both start with "Wr"), so it could be a letter at a time to revalidate vice everyone. I revalidated with no problem; the problem is with his account.
There doesn't seem to be a way to directly contact Steam support; everything runs through the automated help support, with no phone numbers or ways to contact/email them, hence my plea for help here amongst the wise old men (and women).

You and your son dont count as "everyone". Why cant you contact support? What automated support system are you trying to use if not for steam support? You might be getting involved in a scam.

[Phénomènes Mystiques]

How about changing the authentication on your account to your son's phone (Steam Guard) and so that way the authentication for your son's account will go to the email.

Just remember to change it back after.

~or~

Changing your accounts authentication email, temporarily, so that way the email that goes to your main email will be your son's validation code.

The old "switcheroo".

[WryGuy]

Hogarth ... in my admittedly small sample size (two), both accounts had to revalidate, so I incorrectly assumed it was everyone, not a subset at a time. My bad.
I've tried the standard Steam support link ... https://help.steampowered.com/ and all it offers is canned responses (that don't seem to apply) with no way to ask for help (that I can find). Since my son can't log on after having had an account for years, it doesn't appear to be a scam, especially when he tries to validate his account, and my email gets the validation code from Steam without his entering my email.

Wynters - I never entered a phone number onto the account (I think). But as a last resort, I think that the switcheroo may be a thing to try when all hope is lost. But I'm afraid that if I change the email address, that I'd still be changing it for my account, not his.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by WryGuy:

Reboot - No, that's the problem.

Am I right assuming that your son needs a code to log in?

[WryGuy]

Reboot ... you're correct. But the code Steam sends comes to my email account (which I incorrectly also entered for his account years ago, as well as my own) when he requests a validation code. It only revalidates my account, not his, when entered by either of us. I think that his account needs to be tied to his email for revalidation to work.

[Joke]

Your son should treat the problem as a "I forgot my password" problem.

1. Tell him to enter the steam store using a web browser. https://store.steampowered.com/

2. Click the "login" link at the top right.

3. On the login page, click the "Help, I can't sign in." link, just below the big "Sign in" button.

4. On the next page, click "I forgot my Steam Account name or password"

5. On the next page, steam asks for the email registered to the account.
If he enters _your_ email address, then he's likely to find _your_ account, which is a problem since he's really looking for his own account.

To get past this, enter a fake email address that nobody has.
(for example [e-mail])

Steam tells you that no account was found, but a new option is shown.
A button "Search with my account name".
Enter his account name, and then follow instructions.

(The "account name" is the name used when logging in. Not the public profile name.)

[WryGuy]

Joke,

You're really thinking outside the box and this sounds like a great idea. I'll have my boy try it when he gets back home!

Thanks!

-Tim

[Muppet among Puppets]

When your son signs in his account, the email with code is sent to your email?
So all your son needs to do is to enter the code that you tell him in his login prompt.

Then he can change the email of his account when logged in.

Thats all.
Do i miss something? Where is the problem?

[Muppet among Puppets]

Originally posted by WryGuy:

Nullable - Nice, outside the box thought, but since it was sent to my email address, it's linked to my account.

You can have 2 accounts with one email. And each account would get a separate code for login, if you would login both at once.
The code alone either works for an account..... or it doesnt. Then it is not the one for that login of that account.

If the code your son "causes" doesnt work for him but for you (no idea why you even do anything with the code he causes other than telling him),
he accidently tries to login your account.
But its unlikely that you can use a code even if its for your account, if the login is tried on another computer.

So can i assume that if the code your son causes works for your account, that all this happens on the same computer?